Lawsuits threatened over forced fluoride

Attorney warns water group to preserve legal evidenceBy Chelsea SchillingConcerns about fluoridation are quickly surfacing as the National Kidney Foundation withdrew its support of the chemical additive at the same time the largest association of water professionals in the world was warned not to destroy evidence that may be required in legal actions filed by individuals harmed by drinking fluoridated water.

Following reports of the NKF's acknowledgement that patients with kidney disease "should be notified of the potential risk" to their health from drinking fluoridated water, the American Water Works Association has been given notice that it must not eliminate or tamper with documents or recordings, indicating lawsuits could be filed in the near future.

Attorney Robert Reeves delivered a fluoride evidence preservation notice to the 60,000-member water association last week. The document named AWWA's Denver headquarters, regional offices and national and regional officers as "potentially responsible parties" who might be named in lawsuits filed on behalf of kidney patients and other individuals injured by ingesting fluoride.

Daniel Stockin of the Lillie Center Inc., a public health training firm that works to end fluoridation, said organizations should immediately withdraw support for use of the water additive.

"The letter from attorney Reeves to AWWA should make people aware that there is a rapidly closing window in which cities or health officials can act to end fluoridation without being held accountable for continuing to support fluoridation," Stockin told WND. "The news is out that there are sensitive groups such as kidney patients, diabetics and infants who need to be protected."

A 2006 National Research Council report indicates people with kidney disease are more susceptible to fluoride's bone and teeth-damaging effects. Dialysis machines cannot use fluoridated water because it is known to be potentially dangerous to patients. An NKF statement indicates some people receiving dialysis treatments died or were poisoned from fluoride after it leeched through machine filters.

As WND previously reported, there is growing and fierce opposition to plans to fluoridate public drinking water after shocking new studies that seriously question a practice routine among U.S. municipalities for nearly the last 50 years. Emerging ranks of concerned groups and individuals have been protesting widespread water fluoridation as the chemical has been designated a health risk to infants, kidney patients and people with thyroid conditions. Some reports indicate it can lead to dental fluorosis, brittle bones, cancer, kidney disease, neurological problems and other ailments, including lower IQs.

Stockin said children are at high risk of developing fluoride-related illness, because the chemical concentration is higher in their small bodies.

"Think about it: If a 230-pound man and a 15-pound baby each drink one glass of water, they each receive the same dose of fluoride," he said. "Does it make any sense at all to give both of them the same amount, regardless of body size or health history, and to not know or monitor how much fluoride they're drinking or ingesting from other sources?"

The notice to the AWWA shows that attorneys across the U.S. have become alerted to the health risks of fluoride, a chemical that is said to be equivalent to arsenic and lead in terms of toxicity. The document also addresses the AWWA's claim of being "the authoritative resource on safe water," noting that such a statement would require that the water association reveal even the negative impacts of fluoride use.

The AWWA responded to the notice, claiming it relies on other organizations for information about the health risks of fluoride.

"AWWA looks to the medical and dental communities, the U.S. EPA, the Centers for Disease Control, and other … organizations for their information and research on medical and dental health," the statement said.

Stockin said the association has ignored obvious conflicts between the research and glowing reports on the safety of fluorides and will likely face lawsuits on behalf of kidney patients and other groups. He suggests other organizations immediately rescind support of fluoride.

"This was bad science and bad policy from the beginning, and I would suggest cities and organizations that lend their name to supporting fluoridation very quickly and emphatically change positions," he said. "Attorney Reeves' letter should be a wake up call – to act quickly to stop fluoridation."

New York -- June 21, 2008 — Many professionals world-wide are calling on Louisiana Governor Jindal to veto a bill which would force fluoridation on almost the whole state. SB 312 was quietly pushed through the legislature by PR firms without most Louisianans knowing it was happening. The professionals are asking Jindal to use his veto in the interest of fairness. Citizens should have been part of this discussion but they were not.

Fluoride is added to water ostensibly to reduce tooth decay but according to many professionals contacting Jindal, recent evidence indicates that fluoride poses many health dangers (NRC, 2006).

Paul Connett, PhD, Director, Fluoride Action Network asks, ”If fluoridation is a source of pride to the dental lobby why didn't they present their case openly and allow the legislators to hear experts from both sides? The public should be fully informed about measures that could adversely affect their health. This shouldn’t be done by stealth.”

Among professionals writing to Jindal are Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, and Dr. Robert Issacson, panel members of “Fluoride in Drinking Water” a landmark review by the National Research Council (NRC, 2006); Dr. Doug Everingham a former Australian Health Minister and Dr. Vyvyan Howard, president of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment. They are among 1700 professionals calling for an end to water fluoridation worldwide. See http://www.FluorideAlert.org

With American Dental Association funding, the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA), hired public relations and lobbying firms to promote the fluoridation bill. The LDA boasts that they have huge access to legislators. On their website they state that their activities include “the use of staff and contract lobbyists, governmental publications, legislative reporting service, dinners for legislators, Dentists’ Day at the Legislature, and VoterVOICE!”

Connett says, “In the interest of fairness, Governor Jindal should Veto the fluoridation bill, so that citizens can find out what fluoridation entails and allow legislators to hear the latest evidence of fluoride’s dangers. Governor Jindal has been tipped as a future leader and more than anything else people expect leaders to act fairly.”

The Fluoride Action Network asks all concerned citizens to contact Gov. Jindal to veto SB 312 by sending an online message at http://la2.fluoridealert.org or phoning 225-342-7015 or 866-366-1121.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which in some cases has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for the purposes of news reporting, education, research, comment, and criticism, which constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the DMCA and other applicable intellectual property laws. It is our policy to remove material from public view that we believe in good faith to be copyrighted material that has been illegally copied and distributed by any of our members or users.